A/N:

Thanks to devlady for the review!

Jacob nodded as he listened to Dean's affirmation, and couldn't help but smile as he thought about the day before. Seeing the village for the first time had been incredible. The sprites hadn't fled from the two giants in their midst, since many of them had heard about humans for years from Sam. They'd heard specifically about Dean. A good human that they could all trust without question, and when he finally arrived, they did.

"Judging by yesterday, I'm betting you'll make up for a lot by babysitting some nestlings," he quipped. The feeling of the tiniest little shoes walking on his hand or his shoulders would never lose its novelty, Jacob was certain. Those kids hadn't even had a chance to play with Sam's "big big brother."

A strange, almost alien happiness came over Dean at that. "Ya think?" he asked, a bit of awe in his eyes. He'd seen Jacob with the nestlings, but most of his time in the village had been spent either with Sam at his home or planning their fight with Scar.

The children that visited with Jacob were so small. Especially the tiny nestling that had gotten a piggyback ride on Sam's shoulders. While they were both standing on Jacob's knee. Within reach of not one human, but two after Dean came over to join them.

"They really do trust us, don't they?" Dean asked, the awe lingering in his voice.

"I think they really do," Jacob said softly, equal awe and appreciation in his own voice. An entire community of people smaller than a finger had welcomed them in. They were all unaware of how vast the world beyond their forest really was. They just knew that it was there. Jacob doubted that even Sam's stories could adequately explain it to such an isolated group.

Their trust seemed all that much bigger and more powerful because of that. Jacob hoped he'd never let them down.

He showed off a mark on his hand, a long thin cut that had healed into a scar. "Didn't start off that way with me, but I think you had a free pass right from the start," he quipped. "I startled Sam and this is what I got for it."

Dean looked and had to battle between a smirk for the way Sam was willing to stand up for himself and the sprites and worry for Sam having to defend himself like that. Compared to Sam or Bowman, the cut would be long. More than enough to be a killing blow against someone their own size.

Sam lived in a world where everything outsized him, but he'd adapted to it as well as anyone could.

"What did you do? " Dean blurted in surprise. He glanced quickly over at the bed the others were sleeping on, checking that his outburst hadn't woken them unintentionally.

This time, Jacob's grin was sheepish. He folded his arms on the table and reminded himself that he'd since learned his lesson after his first encounter with Bowman and Sam. He'd come to his senses before anyone got hurt (aside from the cut on his hand).

He also knew without a doubt that, no matter how he went about explaining, he couldn't hide the details from Dean. Those were his little brothers Jacob had stumbled upon, after all. There was no doubt he'd find out how it happened, one way or the other, and Sam had already explained part of it anyway. It was better for Jacob to just come out and confess.

"I ... had Bowman in my hand, and then Sam stepped out to tell me to let him go. I was surprised enough to just reach for him ... like a dumbass ... and he jumped up and sliced my hand." He glanced down at the scar once more, before looking pensively at the hand he'd used to keep Bowman in place. It was the same hand that had nearly crushed the sprite the night before.

"He was on the back of my hand for a second, but then he glided off. I was kinda just freaking out at that point so I uh. I trapped them both under a bucket for a few minutes."

Dean's eyebrows were as high up as they could go while the story went on. "And no one got hurt in all that?" The image of Sam standing bravely on the back of his ownhand rose to the forefront of his mind. In those moments, Dean hadn't even had any idea that it was his brother standing there.

Bowman and their little sister Rischa had been trapped between Dean's hands at that very moment, so he couldn't claim complete innocence in the entire situation. His reasons may have been different, but it all boiled down to the same thing.

Unable to get out.

"How the hell do you end up trapping them 'under a bucket' for only a few minutes?" Dean asked dubiously, wondering if he should have asked Sam more about how they'd met the teenager.

Jacob shrugged and opened his hands in a lost sort of gesture. "I just ... I put the bucket over them to keep them in one spot while I caught up to what the hell was happening," he admitted. Nothing in his tone suggested he thought it was the right thing to do, and Jacob never had felt that way. He had simply reacted, and the result was trapping those who would become his friends.

"I took care of my hand and cooled my head for a second. And then they started to dig out from under the bucket, actually," he recounted, his own eyebrows going up. At the time, he hadn't even considered the possibility, but the two of them wasted no time at all. "Sam squirreled his way out, but Bowman got stuck before I found out what they were up to. Then I lifted the bucket off to let them go."

Jacob's remorse settled on his face once again. He'd messed up a lot when he first met the odd pair of brothers. He always tried to tell himself that anyone would have reacted that way, but it didn't make him feel better. "I didn't do it to hurt them," he insisted in a quieter voice. "It was just the first thing that came to mind."

Any ire Dean had at the thought of Sam trapped under a bucket had faded with the reminder that he had the same reaction. The only reason the small swordsman had escaped being trapped in a hand along with the others was the fact that Dean had run out of room. The two sprites and their wings had filled his hands leaving Dean just staring at Sam in shock when the tiny glider had landed on him.

"I'm not saying that wasn't a piss-poor way of introducing yourself," Dean said sternly. "But Sam and Bowman look like they forgave you for it. So long as you don't go trappin' any other sprites, I think I can let you off the hook. You learned your lesson long before I even knew they existed." With that out of the way, Dean let a smile grace his face. "Sounds like I'm gonna have to see Sam in action, though. The kid might be on the short side of our family, but I'd say he's as tenacious as I've ever been, especially if being trapped didn't slow him down."

"Not even a little," Jacob agreed with a smile of his own. Neither Sam nor Bowman had given up on trying to get away from him right from the start. Bowman's snark and determination to escape Jacob's grasp had only let up momentarily when he worried about Sam.

"He was always hopping right to protecting Bowman, too. When I first grabbed him and when he was stuck under the bucket. I couldn't get a thought together and there Sam was, ready to cut my hand off if he needed to." The pair really looked out for each other.

Pride filled Dean at that. "Always looking out for his family." He cast another glance towards the bed, wishing he had the chance to tell Sam how proud he was of him. He would have that chance the next day, and the next, and all because of the sprites that had saved Sam's life so many years ago.

Dean wasn't going to waste this second chance.

He pushed the pizza box back. "We should follow their example and hit the sack," he said. Despite how early on in the night it was, the ache from his broken arm was sapping his energy. A full night's rest wouldn't go to waste.

They could all use it.

Jacob nodded and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It wasn't as late as it felt like. The excitement of the day had taken all of the energy out of the mixed crowd in the room, Sam and Scar most of all. Dean, with his broken arm, wasn't far behind.

"First thing in the morning we'll head back to the forest and get everyone home," he said, pushing his chair back to stand. His first stop was to double check that the door was locked and the chain latched. He didn't want to risk someone walking in and finding the three tiny, vulnerable people sleeping out in the open.

He checked the curtains next, drawing them close and shrouding the room from anyone who might try to peek in. That done, he finally glanced back at the pillow. Thankfully, he'd set it up near one side of one of the beds, so the other side was left open and no one would have to sleep on the floor. He looked to Dean to see where he'd choose to sleep.

There wasn't much question in Dean's mind where he'd be staying. He didn't want to go too far from Sam so long as the others were all vulnerable and asleep on their pillow. Before settling down for the night he leaned over the pillow, wanting to check on them.

Bowman was curled even further into his wing than when he'd started. Scar was carefully positioned, keeping his broken wing out of the way while still using the shirt to cover his legs for warmth. Sam was barely visible. Only the top of his head was peeking out of the shirt, balled up in it as he was. Reaching out a hand, Dean carefully brushed Sam's hair so he could see the peaceful expression on his little brother's face. Sam shifted at the motion, snuggling deeper into the folds. He never woke up.

Dean smiled at that, and went around to the other side of the bed to get in. He did his best to avoid jarring the pillow across from him, but he had a distinct feeling that if any of them were awake for it, it would be closer to a low scale earthquake, based on the amount the pillow shook.

Sinking into his own pillow, Dean kept his eyes on the flannel shirt close by. He at least knew he didn't roll around in his sleep, and most days he was an incredibly light sleeper. It would have to be enough.

Jacob hid his faint smile by looking at the table and making sure the pizza box was closed all the way. He gathered up the now-melted ice packs and tossed the damp rags into the bathroom sink. With that done, he could take the second bed, settling on the creaky mattress.

He glanced over to check on the others one last time. He couldn't see the pillow very well past Dean, but his quick look showed the hunter was watching over them himself. They were in good care, and the thought settled many of Jacob's troubled thoughts and enabled him to drift off to sleep.

Dean was up long after Jacob faded away. The room was quiet and the dim light was enough for Dean to watch over the pillow and its tiny inhabitants. It was a strange sight, three people fitting on a pillow, but a reassuring one for the hunter.

Two days ago, he'd been a hunter without a family. Without a mother, who died when he was a kid, a brother who vanished during childhood, and a father that abandoned him as an adult.

Now, he'd found a family. His family. They might not be a normal family, but they trusted him and he wouldn't let them down.

Eventually his eyes grew heavy as he blinked blearily at the other pillow. The sight of a tiny shift from Bowman didn't even catch Dean's attention, and the hunter joined the rest of the room in sleep.

The night passed without incident. Occasionally, the wind rustled in the trees outside or light from a passing night driver would creep by the edges of the closed curtains. Even so, everyone slumbered on as the relief from the ordeal ending settled over them like a comforting cloak.

The morning was underway when Jacob woke. His breath hitched and he released a slow sigh before his eyes slowly opened. From the sound of things, he was the first awake. Sunlight tried its best to make it around the curtains, and he sat up to stare dully at the window for a moment.

His gaze fell to the pillow and the sight of the three tiny people still slumbering away got his mind in gear. With a quiet groan, Jacob stood from the bed and stretched his arms out before padding over to the window. The darker curtains had a set of sheer ones just behind them, so he glanced behind and tried to maneuver a narrow sunbeam onto the pillow. He nodded to himself when he saw Scar's wings and most of Bowman's wing-blanket almost glow with the light falling on them.

Next came the coffee. Jacob took the lightest steps he could to the kitchenette to start up the coffee maker and get something ready for the others.

It wasn't the smell of coffee that did it, or the rumble of the ground underneath Jacob's feet, but the bright glint of sunlight. A ray fell on Sam's face, and he flinched backwards for a moment, wondering where the leafy shades over his window had gone.

With consciousness poking at him, the rest of his surroundings started to infringe on his sleeping mind and he realized he wasn't at home in his own bed. The ground was too soft underneath him, far softer than anything he'd slept on since being cursed. He was still wearing all his clothes minus the knight jacket and belt, and the distant sound of someone moving about did the rest and pulled him out of sleep.

Sam blinked his eyes open, staring blearily at his strange surroundings. It was a few moments before it really started to sink in where he was. A high white ceiling loomed far overhead, and distant curtains let the sun in. Sam pushed himself up and rubbed at his eyes, realizing that Scar and Bowman were asleep not far from him. Both sprites had sunlight falling on their wings, and he smiled. He remembered where they were.

On that line of thought, Sam glanced around and recoiled slightly at how close Dean was. The hunter took up the other side of the bed, his tall frame filling it up almost completely. The broken arm lay across his stomach and he slept peacefully on his back. His face was more relaxed than Sam had seen it since childhood. Ever since running into Dean the other day there had been an intensity about him that was lacking when they were kids and Sam wondered where it had come from.

Maybe one day he would find out.

The rest of the room around them was equally peaceful, and by the tiny kitchenette Jacob was bustling about and getting coffee ready. As the smell began to permeate the rest of the room, Dean shifted in place. His eyes scrunched together in brief pain as he moved, then Sam felt a tingle on the back of his neck as Dean woke the rest of the way and immediately focused on the pillow that lay so close.

"Hey, pint-size," Dean greeted softly. "Feelin' better today?"

Sam suppressed the instinct to roll his eyes and instead offered Dean a smile of his own. "You know it."

The soft voices drew Jacob's attention, and he glanced over his shoulder. He smiled faintly at the sight of Sam sitting up, though the sprites remained asleep. Leaving the coffee pot to fill, he walked closer to the bed to check on the others.

Sam was the only one stirring. Bowman remained curled up under his wing, a little sprite cocoon with a leafy covering. Even his face was barely visible, but it was enough to notice that he slumbered on. Scar lay on his side with a rainy expression on his face, no doubt owed to the pain in his injured wing, which lay awkwardly behind him while the unhurt one twitched a little in the sun.

Jacob opened his mouth to ask how Sam was doing, but a bigger twitch from that wing drew his attention and shut him up as Scar sat up abruptly. There was a startled look in his eyes as he whipped his gaze around, twisting his body to see every direction. Then, the look became a grimace and he hunched his shoulders and hissed out a few sprite curse words. Jacob only caught "Rot! " for certain.

"Uh. S-sorry," Jacob stammered, refraining from coming any closer to the bed and crowding the startled sprite. "Didn't mean to scare ya."

Scar rubbed at his face with his hands. "You didn't," he said ruefully. "Mind playing tricks on me." After brushing the sleep from his eyes, he turned to appraise Sam, and then Dean, checking their status and searching for signs of any new pain on their faces.

"You're not the only one," Sam said in understanding, remembering his own reaction upon waking and discovering Dean sleeping so close. It didn't matter that his mind said he was safe there, his instincts clamored at the thought of being within reach of a person large enough to snatch him up on a whim.

It was clear the subtext of what they were saying was lost on Dean, but he offered his own smile. "Bobby won't get close enough to bother you guys with us around," he promised.

Sam pushed the folds of the shirt out of his way, working to free himself. The air of the motel was cool against his bare arms and he reached over to drag his jacket close. The temperature was a welcome excuse to cover up his arms and hide the dark bruises that covered them. "What's going on?" he asked as he slipped into his jacket and started to tie his belt around his waist.

Scar stretched his arms carefully and glanced up while Jacob answered. "Just making some coffee for anyone who wants it. Then I think we can head into Wellwood." By the time he was finished speaking, Jacob could no longer hold back his relieved smile.

"It's a good plan," Scar agreed, ignoring the nagging questions in his mind about what coffee was. He might try it himself if it was so important.

First things first. He turned where he sat and slapped Bowman's wing with an open hand. "Don't sleep the sun all the way up, Leafwing," he barked, even while Bowman flinched back and rolled over. His offended wing flared up in surprise and he blinked rapidly, bright green eyes scanning his surroundings.

Seeing no sign of panic, Bowman slumped on the pillow again. "Was that really necessary?!" he groused.

"Hey, maybe if you wake up on time one of these days, we won't need to wake you up so often," Sam quipped, remembering with a sly grin the most recent time he'd tossed his adopted brother out of bed. Having extra strength came in handy when he was wrangling a sprite.

Dean was entertained by the entire thing, and had to hold in a laugh as he picked himself up out of bed. He did his best to avoid shaking it on them. "Sounds like you guys have some experience with that," he shot down at Sam.

Sam affected an innocent look. "Only when Bowman sleeps in and we're supposed to be on patrol."

Bowman sat up with a huff and shot a potent glare at Sam, one that never had any effect whatsoever. "Pray to a rock," he grumbled, before stretching his arms over his head and his wings behind him. As he did so, the sunlight from the window caught his wings in a bright display of green.

Scar rolled his eyes and shoved the flannel shirt away from himself to uncover his legs. He let his own uninjured wing fall open more to gather the sunlight shining right on the pillow. "If it weren't for Sam, Bowman here might have slept entire days away."

Bowman's face heated up from the teasing. "That is not true. I'm perfectly capable of waking up whenever. I just don't."

"Exactly," Sam said pointedly. "You don't. Can't miss out on all that sun, now, can you?"

Dean had to chuckle as he stretched his back and one arm. The other wasn't in as much pain after his sleep. It was a mild, low level throb that just served to keep him more distracted than normal. "If you guys have everything under control, I think I'm gonna hit the shower. If we're gonna be walking most of the day away, I'll need whatever I can get."

Sam tilted his head back, amazed at the perspective. They were even sitting on the bed, putting them much higher than they'd been while meeting Jacob, yet it still didn't feel like it did much next to the full height of a human.

"I think we'll be fine without you," Sam said dryly, not one to miss a chance to poke fun at Dean.

"Somehow," Bowman joined right in, easily going along with Sam's teasing. For once it wasn't directed at him. He brushed both hands through his wild hair. It sprang right back to where it had been, just as wild as ever.

"I'll make sure these comedians don't take all the coffee," Jacob quipped with a smirk. Bowman flicked his wings pointedly, and Jacob raised an eyebrow at him.

"What is coffee?" Scar finally asked, an eyebrow of his own raised. The smell that filled the room had him curious. "What kind of name is coffee, for that matter," he added in a quieter tone.

"It's a drink," Bowman answered, pointing to the machine that emitted faint noises as black liquid dripped into the coffee pot. "It's good, kinda like tea, but it's like liquid energy. Made my wings blasted twitchy all morning yesterday."

"Aw, you mean I missed your first drink of coffee?" Sam teased, grinning at the thought of how spastic Bowman would be with just a sip of the stuff. Their dad used to swear by it, and Sam had tried it a time or two as a kid. He wasn't a fan of it black the way their dad drank it, but it definitely gave him energy.

Like that one time Dean had slipped him some before a long car ride…

While they were joking around, Dean stepped back and tried to slip away unnoticed. It wasn't likely he was very successful, but he at least gave it the old college try. It was strange being only one of two regular sized people, outnumbered by guys the size of a finger, but it was a strange he had a feeling he would get used to before long. He owed his little brother all that and more after all their years apart.

Dean collected his duffel and escaped into the bathroom. More than getting clean, he needed to clear his head. A lot had been tossed at him in the last few days and he was coming to terms with the changes to what he knew. Some time alone would help that more than anything else. Switching on the water in the shower, the sound of rushing water drowned out the room beyond and gave him a chance to catch his breath.

My life is weird.

A/N:

Almost to the end! These boys certainly need a break!

Last: May 13th, 2020 at 9pm EST.

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